NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts have broken Apollo 13's record for the furthest distance from Earth. Four astronauts, including Reid Wiseman ...read more

1. This is the closest human has come to the Moon since 1972.

NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts have broken the Apollo 13 mission's record of traveling 248,655 miles from Earth. The four Artemis 2 astronauts on Monday reached a place in space farthest from Earth than any human had ever reached.

The astronauts surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) set by Apollo 13 in April 1970. The Artemis 2 astronauts are moving within the Moon's gravitational field. Over the next few hours, they will reach a distance of 252,760 miles.

Which astronauts are included?

Three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut launched to the Moon last week aboard the Orion capsule: Reid Wiseman from NASA, Black astronaut Victor Glover, female astronaut Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hanson from the Canadian Space Agency.

On the sixth day of the flight, at approximately 10:50 a.m. Eastern Time, they woke to a recorded message from Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, who died last year at the age of 97. In the recorded message, Lovell said, "This is a historic day. I know how busy you will be, but don't forget to enjoy the view. Good luck and God bless you."

Will orbit the far side of the Moon

Artemis 2 astronauts will orbit the far side of the Moon and view the Moon from an altitude of approximately 4,000 miles. During the lunar pass, the crew will lose contact with NASA's Deep Space Network for approximately 41 minutes. Astronauts will survey the Moon.

The process will last for 6 hours

The flyby will last approximately six hours, during which astronauts will use professional cameras to take detailed images of the Moon through Orion's window.

Astronauts will also have the opportunity to capture a rare moment in which Earth appears incredibly small due to its record-breaking distance in space, and when they will witness moonrise and moonset along the lunar horizon.

The astronauts will have the opportunity to see views that even the 24 Apollo astronauts who went before them never saw. They will also witness a total solar eclipse as the Moon will cover the Sun, obscuring some of the shimmering corona.

During the mission, astronauts will make a rapid U-turn and return to Earth after passing near the Moon. NASA is providing 24-hour live video coverage of the mission.

You can watch it on YouTube, NASA's internet platform X. Astronauts will not land on the lunar surface in this mission. This is the first time since the 1972 Apollo missions that humans have come this close to the Moon.

 PC:Jagran